Already he has called the incum-bent “a liar.”But, before Pawar, whoturned 37 on April 22, can lockhorns with Rauner, he’s got toprevail in the Democratic pri-mary on March 20, 2018 againsttwo popular well-heeled busi-nessmen: J.B. Pritzker and ChrisKennedy. A win in the primary –and then the general election –would make Pawar the firstIndian-American Democraticgovernor in the nation. TwoIndian-American ex-governors,Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal andSouth Carolina’s Nikki Haley, areboth Republicans.

Fighting a lack of name recognition outside his Northwest
Side ward, and matching his

$50,000 campaign against
Rauner’s infusion of $50 million
of his own funds, Pawar has
launched his run as a leap of
faith. “I am sick and tired of billionaire politicians,” he said,
especially ones who make communities fight over limited
resources.

“Fighting over resources,when we live in the fifth largesteconomy in the country, whichis $700 billion,” he said. “Thereis enough money to pay for pub-lic schools, to expand childcareand have a large capital and jobsbill, but we need the wealthy topay their fair share and we needto start addressing incomeinequality and poverty in ameaningful way.”Saying it is imperative thatthere has to be a progressivevoice and platform in the race,particularly after the Novemberelections clearly indicated a deepchasm across the countrybetween the Democratic Party’sliberal and establishment wings,Pawar said he believes there hasto be a progressive income taxwithout asking “the middle classto shoulder all the burden.”“We have to make thewealthy people pay their fairshare,” he said.

GOP spokesman Steven Yaffesaid in the statement that “whilejob-crushing tax increases with-out reform has caused an exodusfrom Illinois, Pawar doubleddown on theMadigan Chicagoagenda, support-ing higherincome taxes andhigher propertytaxes.”Latching on toRauner’s com-mitment to vetothe so-calledIllinois abortionrights bill –known as HB40 -- despite his 2014campaignpledges to thepro-choice advocacy group,Personal PAC, Pawar said,“Bruce Rauner is a liar. As a can-didate for governor, he said hewas pro-choice. Now he says hewill veto HB40, a pro-choice billto provide women access toaffordable health care plans thatinclude coverage for abortions.”“We need leaders in govern-ment who won’t use women’srights to score political pointswhen it seems most conven-ient,” he said, and noted,“People are sick and tired of richmen like Bruce Rauner andDonald Trump telling womenwhat they can and cannot dowith their bodies. If we say wehave family values we have tostart valuing families.”Pawar declared, “As governor,I will always defend a woman’sright to choose and will fight toprovide access to affordablecomprehensive health care tourban and ruralcommunities acrossthe state.”The Evanston-born alderman alsoslammed Rauner fornot presenting abudget as yet, say-ing, “Instead ofworking on passinga state budget thatis now more than 21months overdue,Governor Rauner isout campaigning inan attempt to dis-tract us from the

22,000 seniors outside ofChicago who have lost access toservices, the 130,000 low-income college students who arenot receiving tuition grants, thenearly 47,000 children whoseparents are without affordablechild care, and the 80,000 peo-ple who have lost access to men-tal health services in Illinois.”Pawar said that since launch-ing his campaign, he has beentraveling around the state,spending time in central andsouthern Illinois, establishing agrassroots campaign.

By mid-April, he said, he had
raised more than $325,000 from

1,200 supporters statewide whohad joined the grassroots move-ment for a New Deal for Illinois.He said he is confident he couldraise $3 million to $5 million.“Like with anything in life,there’s always someone withmore money than you—andthat’s OK, that’s life,” he said.“But that doesn’t mean that youdon’t do something becausesomeone has some naturaladvantage. I’ve got other advan-tages over people. I’ve beenserving people, I’ve been repre-senting thousands of people –60,000 plus in Chicago for oversix years. I’ve passed legislation,I’ve passed a budget and thereare all things that you know thebillionaires don’t have, includingour governor. He hasn’t passed asingle budget.”Pawar said he has been reach-ing out to the significant IndianAmerican and South AsianAmerican community that live inthe state, particularly in theChicago and the greater metro-politan area.

“The one thing I try to tellpeople in our own Indian-American community – whetherHindu or Muslim or the Pakistanicommunity—is that nobodycares about religion, except theracists. All they see is the color.So, in our own community, weshouldn’t be based on the oldworld politics of Hindu andMuslim. We should be unitingaround one another and repre-senting ourselves as one com-munity.”He said the South AsianAmerican community should bea unifying force to counter theracism, bigotry and xenophobia,particularly since racists havebecome emboldened by the rhet-oric of President Donald Trump,beginning with his candidacy.

“I am the only minority in this
race, and if I win,” he said, “I
will be the first Indian American
to be elected governor in Illinois.
I am also the first Indian-American or Asian-American
elected to the City Council in
Chicago—the third largest city in
the country.” He was first elected in 2011 and was re-elected in
2015, with an 82 percent vote
majority, the largest margin in
Chicago.

“So, clearly, while our national politics are scary right now,
we have an opportunity in
Illinois to prove everyone else in
the national level wrong,” he
said. He said he has yet to reach
out to freshman Rep. Raja
Krishnamoorthi, a fellow
Democrat, for an endorsement,
saying “I know he’s really busy
getting up his congressional
office. So I know we will talk
very soon.”

C

He’s a ‘Go’ For Illinois Governor

Chicago alderman launches spirited campaign to unseat GOP incumbent

Facebook, Murthy wrote:“While I had hoped to domore to help our nationtackle its biggest healthchallenges, I will be forev-er grateful for the oppor-tunity to have served.”Murthy continued, “Asmy colleague RearAdmiral Sylvia Trent-Adams takes over as act-ing surgeon general, knowthat our nation is in capa-ble and compassionatehands. Thank you,America, for the privilegeof a lifetime. I have beentruly humbled and hon-ored to serve as your sur-geon general.”House DemocraticCaucus Chairman JoeCrowley of New York, oneof Murthy’s strongestadvocates, called him “adynamic and outstandingsurgeon general” and “aninspiration, not only tothe Indian American com-munity, but to our entiremedical and healthcarecommunity.”He issued a statementsaying: While I’m disap-pointed that the Trumpadministration cut histime of service short, Iknow Dr. Murthy will con-tinue to engage on thehealth priorities of ourcountry.”The AmericanAssociation of Physiciansof Indian Origin said itsmembers were “shockedand saddened with hisdeparture.” Murthy hadbeen present at severalAAPI meetings.

“He surely has left a
mark and confirmed that
you can dream big and
achieve big. He was a trailblazer indeed,” said Dr.
Sampat Shivangi, national
president of the Indian
American Forum for
Political Education and an